Perpetua's Passions

Perpetua''s Passions is a collection of studies about Perpetua a young female Christian martyr who was executed in 203 AD. Like her spiritual guide Saturus Perpetua left a diary and a few years after their deaths a fellow Christian collected these writings and supplied them with an introduction and epilogue: the so-called Passion of Perpetua. The result is one of the most fascinating and enigmatic works of antiquity which the present volume examines from a wide range of perspectives: literary narratological historical religious psychological and philosophical viewpoints follow upon a newly edited text and English translation (by Joseph Farrell and Craig Williams). This innovative treatment by a number of distinguished scholars not only complements its unique subject but constitutes a kind of laboratory of new approaches to ancient texts.